On 09/15/2019 11:21 PM, K7HP wrote:

ARRL September VHF Contest - 2019
Comments:
I just cannot get much interested in contesting using FT8 .
Have no particular issue with using FT8 day to day but
as a contest mode ESPECIALLY when I can hear by ear
at least 75 percent of the signals I work on FT8 and could work
them on CW in 5 -10 seconds .

This seemed especially true on 6 meter FT8. A static crash during the RX cycle would eliminate any chance of a decode. My brain would have easily filled in the missing dot or dash. Also, there was rapid QSB on most FT8 signals (weak Es ? meteor trails ?). WSJT-X was also intolerant of that, whereas my brain and CW would have had no problems.

MSK144 would have been far more appropriate than FT8.

73,
Steve, N2IC